Trove Tuesday – The Huntress

This week’s Trove Tuesday article from the Portland Guardian and Normanby General Advertiser is not an enjoyable read, but it is a reminder of the changes in attitude towards our environment and the creatures that inhabit it. In 1867, a bird hunting cat was a thing to celebrate but remember this was a time when sparrow matches and other bird shooting was popular, so please think no less of Mrs Simpson of Bridgewater . The poor bird involved was a “land rail bird”, most likely the endangered Lewin’s Rail , a small native water bird found in the south-west of Victoria.